


Truth be Told

by xkrytore



Series: Merlin/Merthur Oneshots [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, don't know what i was doing in this one, i re-read and hollered, uh yeah fun times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27136051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xkrytore/pseuds/xkrytore
Summary: After being attacked by a group of supposed bandits, Merlin was separated from Arthur and the rest of the knights. They searched low and high for their friend, and managed to find him.However, he's not in the best state.
Relationships: Gaius & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin/Merthur Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980605
Comments: 1
Kudos: 107





	Truth be Told

**Author's Note:**

> yeha, truth spell and whump ig
> 
> uh there's some smooching at the end yes
> 
> if you know me irl i am so sorry please don't invade my dms or texts skjnsks

"Merlin!" Arthur thrashed around in the arms of his captors, jabbing one in the ribs with his elbow.

"Arthur! It's all right! Let them take me. You'll be safe." Merlin called back, as he was being dragged away. He bled from a wound on his shoulder, stabbed by a spear.

The holder of the spear chuckled, face hidden by an emerald cloak. He looked vaguely towards Arthur, who still struggled against the men holding him still, preventing him from running to his manservant.

"You can't save him, Arthur. Don't worry, I'm sure you can find another manservant somewhere." He chuckled, tapping the end of the spear on the ground, and Merlin was dragged and thrown into a cage, mounted on wheels. Immediately the driver of the cage cracked the whip, and the chestnut stallions at the head of the vehicle started off into a brisk canter, taking Merlin away.

"No! Merlin!" Arthur's scream broke halfway through, and he thrashed around even more, calling Merlin's name on repeat.

"Let me go! What do you even want with him..." He suddenly stopped, staring at the figure in the emerald cloak, falling nearly limp.

The man laughed softly, seeming to find this whole situation extremely amusing. "You will rot on the inside, Arthur Pendragon. You will rot."

And with that, the king of Camelot was struck unconscious, falling to the ground with nightmares swirling in his mind.

<<+>>

Arthur awoke, and with a jolt realized he was in his bed, sitting straight up. He looked around, noticing Gaius enter the room.

"Gaius-- What-- What happened? Where's Merlin?" A hint of panic entered his voice, and he began to get out of the bed, but Gaius pushed him down.

"Relax, Arthur. I'm sure he's all right. You're injured, and must rest." However calm he may seem, he was scared for Merlin. Sure, his magic was impressive, but sometimes he struggled to find the ability to truly harm other people to save himself.

Arthur didn't relax, sitting right back up when Gaius pulled his hands away. "How can he be okay? They hurt him! And then they took him away..." His breathing quickened, and Gaius attempted to calm him down again, patting his shoulder lightly.

"Do you know who took him? Or at least, where you were? It could help your knights find him."

"I-- I think it was near the Valley of the Fallen Kings." Arthur rubbed his hands over his face, trying to slow his breathing. "I don't know what they want with him."

"I'm sure everything will be okay. Merlin will find a way out; he always does." Gaius smiled at Arthur, but it wavered a little bit.

"I hope you're right, Gaius. If you see Leon, send him to me."

Gaius nodded, turning and leaving the room.

Arthur gave a quiet, choked sob, curling up against the headboard of his bed, bringing his knees up to his chest. It was uncharacteristic of him to be this emotional about Merlin, but something about the man in the emerald cloak scared him more than it should. He knew Merlin was in danger, and there was nothing he could do about it.

<<\+ fair warning my boi merlin's got some pretty icky injuries so uh yeah watch out. +>>

Merlin woke with a groan, in pain and unable to see. He tried rolling onto his side, but pain lanced through his chest. Trying yet again, he opened his eyes. Well, he thought he did, but he still couldn't see anything. Blinking a couple of times, Merlin not pushed himself up into a sitting position, still unable to see. As a matter of fact, his face stung a bit. Strange.

"Ugh..." Well, at least he was still able to talk. Nothing had happened there, his throat just hurt a bit. He patted around with his hand, and heard the crunching of leaves under it, realizing he was most likely in a forest of some sort. Strange, how he still couldn't see. Maybe it was some sort of spell?

Actually, that would make a lot of sense. He couldn't remember much, just the fact that he and Arthur had been captured by a strange figure in a green cloak, and separated. He hoped Arthur was all right, but then again, it seemed like they had only wanted Merlin.

"Ow." Merlin began to stand up, hissing a breath between his teeth as the pain in his chest centered around his left shoulder, and ribs on his right side. He reached out with his right arm, waving it around slightly. Eventually he found something: a tree, pushing his weight against it to balance himself more, wincing at all the bangs and cuts he was bound to have.

After being thrown in the cage, he remembered travelling through the forest, and the figure in the green cloak murmuring something under his breath. Merlin grew tired, and must have fallen asleep because of a spell. Then, he remembered nothing more, and just woke up here, in who knows where, unsure if anyone was looking for him, and unable to see anything. At least he had his other senses left.

Stumbling along, Merlin was wary of calling out, praying that he wasn't in enemy territory. Not knowing how long he had been gone, Arthur may or may not have already sent knights to look for him. He let out a shaky breath, hoping that he had.

Another terrible thing was that he couldn't tell what time it was. He didn't know if it was night, or if it was day. He could be attacked by dangerous creatures if it was dark, and would never know.

But there was really nothing Merlin could do about that. He gently crouched to the ground, feeling around for a stick or something. Eventually he found one, wrapping his hand around it. It was of moderate width, and seemed long enough to keep him from crashing into anything, letting him put his weight on it.

"This is bad..." He muttered to himself, carefully walking forwards while waving the branch a couple feet in front of him, skimming the ground for any dips or rocks.

<<+>>

Leon rode alongside Percival, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Elyan, head turning left and right, searching for any sign of their lost friend.

"Gwaine, Percival, take the left side. Lance and Elyan, you two take the right. I'll ride ahead, and we'll meet up at the stream at the small waterfall."

They all followed orders, turning their horses in the new directions.

Leon kept righting straight, praying that they'd find Merlin. Arthur was in a bit of a state, injured, slightly ill, and worried about his manservant. It was concerning all the knights, but it wasn't a surprise.

<<+>>

Merlin heard a small splash when he touched the branch to the ground, realizing that he had reached a stream. He carefully put his foot into it; the water only came up to his ankle. Beginning to walk across, he heard something crash up ahead, losing his balance and concentration, slipping on a mossy rock. He fell down, catching himself on his hands and knees.

"Merlin!"

<<+>>

Leon heard something crash to his left, and then a cry of Merlin. He kicked his horse into a fast canter, nearly a gallop, pulling suddenly to a stop at the stream bank. He was amazed, and delighted to see Gwaine, helping a nervous Merlin back onto his feet and out of the stream.

Dismounting his horse, he jogged over, then grew concerned. "Merlin, are you all right?"

Merlin didn't quite look at him. Sure, his head was turned in the right direction, but his eyes didn't focus on Leon. The knight also noticed some thin... Scar-looking lines crossing horizontally over Merlins eyes, stretching across the bridge of his nose.

"No— I can't see." Merlin then looked surprised. He hadn't meant to be that blunt, intending to explain what had happened a but more.

"You— What?" Gwaine turned his head to stare at his friend, blinking.

"I can't see." Merlin repeated, almost instantly.

Lancelot came over with his horse. "I can take him."

"Thank you, Lancelot." Leon and Gwaine helped Merlin into the saddle, behind Lancelot. He held on to the knight, looking rather lost and sad.

"Let's head back."

<<+>>

"Arthur, the search party has returned. They found him." Gaius stood in the doorway, watching as Arthur sat straight up in his bed, staring at the physician.

"He's-- Is he okay?" Arthur asked, tearing off the covers and scrambling out of the bed, fully dressed, if a little bed-headed. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while, yet had passed out at some point in time.

"... You should see for yourself, Sire."

Arthur didn't like the sound of that, walking over to Gaius, who motioned for him to follow. He did so, slightly nervous about what he might see. Gaius seemed nervous as well, which didn't help anything.

They made it to Gaius' chambers, going inside.

"Merlin?" Arthur tentatively walked over to his friend, who was sitting at the table. He seemed mostly okay, but he was staring down at the table, looking lost.

"Merlin." He repeated again, gently placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder, seeming to startle him.

"A-- Arthur? Oh... Hi." Merlin looked up, in Arthur's general direction, but he wasn't quite looking at the king, eyes unfocused and slightly over his right shoulder.

"... Merlin, are you okay?"

"No. I can't see you. I can't see anything." Merlin responded almost immediately, then clamped his mouth closed, looking uncomfortable.

Arthur was startled by the sudden and blunt answer. Usually Merlin decided it was a good idea to hide his injuries or problems, until Arthur, Gaius, or someone else found out about them.

"I-- Has Gaius, sorry. Have you figured out why?" Arthur started to talk to Merlin, then remembered that the physician was still there, working on some potion at the other end of the table. He looked up at Arthur, hearing his name and then listening to the question, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, sire. I have been searching for a cure, and why he can't see. I... Believe it to be a combination of injuries and... Magic, sire." He chose his words carefully, then inclined his head at the last word. There was no reason for him to exclude it.

"Magic? I knew it. That man was bound to be a sorcerer." Arthur snarled, hand tightening on Merlin's shoulder. His manservant winced at that, and he loosened his grip. "Sorry."

"Arthur, it's okay. We'll figure something out." Merlin reached up, patting Arthur's hand before squeezing it slightly. Arthur flipped his hand and took Merlin's, looking back at Gaius.

"Make sure you do." He held the physician's gaze for a moment, before turning and letting go of Merlin's hand, striding out the door.

<<\+ yah, if you can't tell merthur's approaching +>>

The sun rose slowly, cresting over the crowns of the trees and lighting the kingdom below. Birds sang, people milled about in the lower town, the castle was bustling with servants. Everything seemed normal.

But for King Arthur Pendragon, not a lot was normal. Gaius had wanted him to hire a temporary manservant, but he instead just decided to have a few servants to do all of Merlin's tasks.

He was now walking back up to the physician's chambers, dragging himself along. It had been a week since they had found Merlin in the creek, but Gaius still hadn't managed to find a cure for Merlin's blindness.

Pushing open the door, he called out quietly, "Gaius, Merlin?"

"I'm here, Arthur," Merlin turned vaguely in the king's direction, smiling faintly. He was standing by the table, his right hand on it, the other holding a whittled branch, smoothed and shiny.

"Oh, good," Arthur smiled, walking over to his friend and wrapping him in a tight hug, sighing and burying his face in his neck. "I wish you could see this morning. The sunrise was beautiful."

Merlin chuckled and patted Arthur's back. "I wish I could have seen it too. But I think we're making some progress."

Arthur stiffened up, hold around Merlin tightening. "You are?"

"Yes. It's something--" Merlin gritted his teeth and made a hissing sound, startling Arthur, who pulled back to look into his eyes.

"Merlin? Are you all right?"

He let out a long breath, thanking Arthur for asking a new question. He and Gaius had figured out that along with being blinded, he was put under a truth spell, rendering him unable to lie when asked any question. It didn't even have to be specific.

"No, not really. But good enough," he sighed, dropping his head forwards onto Arthur's shoulder. "It's tiring, not being able to see. I have to fight for every step I take, and then I can't even do anything. All I do is walk around these chambers, since Gaius won't let me out of here."

Arthur chuckled, running his fingers through Merlin's hair. "I'm sure he's just protective of you, since in his eyes you appear to be in danger. He thinks of you as his son, you know."

"Yes, I do know that," Merlin said, relaxing into Arthur's touch. He wanted to tell him that Gaius had found a spell that might remove the blindness, but it'd take some powerful magic, combined with his own. He'd have to get help from Kilgarrah, meaning he'd have to go missing yet again.

And then Arthur threw his relaxation out the window. "Promise me you won't ever tell me to leave you like that. Promise me you won't leave me?"

Oh, god. No— Please no— "I can't— I have to talk to the Great Dragon. Oh— oh god," Merlin's words were forced out of his mouth, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth as he backed away from Arthur.

"The... The Great Dragon? I— I thought I killed him... Or, someone did," said Arthur, slowly, staring at Merlin with concern in his eyes.

Merlin said nothing, moving to the other side of the table. His face was pale, paler than usual. His hands fumbled as he grasped at the wood, trying to find his way around, yet mostly knowing where he was going.

"Merlin. What are you not telling me?" Arthur started to walk around to Merlin, confused and scared, wondering why his friend was acting like this.

Merlin gasped, choking on his words. "Arthur— I— Gaius found a spell, but I'm not strong enough— I'm so sorry! I need Kilgarrah to help me— the Great Dragon."

Arthur stopped walking towards him, watching him. They were on opposite sides of the table as Merlin had intended, the warlock trembling slightly, ready to defend himself, and then run. As fast and as far as he could, with Kilgarrah's help.

"You have magic," Arthur said flatly, everything clicking into place.

"Y— Yes... Arthur, please! It's all for you, only for you," Merlin's voice was pleading, yet determined. In fact, he would hardly be scared if he had his sight.

Arthur closed his eyes and dropped his head, chin to his chest, and took a deep breath. Everything was quiet for a moment, the only sounds coming from outside, muffled and indecipherable.

"I always suspected that you did. Sometimes, it was completely unreasonable, there was no way in hell that you, Merlin, my most trusted friend—" Merlin flinched at that, "could be a sorcerer. But now I see it a lot more clearly. All these times where I should have died, or you could have died, and we don't. We survive."

Merlin didn't move, not quite believing that Arthur still accepted him, even after this betrayal. He couldn't see what the king was doing, and everything had fallen silent.

"Arthur?" he called quietly, confused as to what he was doing, or where he was. Suddenly, arms were around his stomach, pinning his arms to his sides, and he was pulled back into a warm body with a yelp. "Forbaer—"

A hand covered his mouth before he could complete the spell, and then, "Merlin, don't. I'm not going to hurt you."

It was Arthur who was behind him, holding him. Merlin had no clue what he was doing, locking up when he felt lips ghosting the left side of his neck where the neckerchief didn't cover.

"You're mine. I would never hurt you, not with a blade, never letting your blood fall by my hands," Arthur spoke against Merlin's neck, sending shivers down his back, breath short and not really knowing what was going on.

Before Arthur could tell Merlin what he truly wanted to say, the door rattled, and Arthur sprung backwards, leaving Merlin standing tense and confused. Gaius entered the room, startled to see Arthur there.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?" he asked, with a small respectful bow to the king.

"I was just checking in on Merlin. He said you and him have found a cure?"

"Yes, sire. Now, if you would excuse us, we have to work on said cure. You may come back tomorrow."

Arthur chuckled, moving to stand closer behind Merlin, slightly to the side. "I'd like to stay. I have nothing planned for today, so maybe I could help."

At this point, he had figured out that Merlin was not only blind, but he had a truth spell put on him. It was the only reason he would have revealed his secret so suddenly. He truly wanted to help them remove both spells, but he was trying to figure out how to tell Gaius that he knew.

"Well, you'd best find something to do. You have no training in medicine, apologies if I sound rude, sire," Gaius attempted to send him away, but he knew that if Arthur truly wanted to stay, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Then I could get you anything you need, if you point it out or describe it to me." Arthur was set on staying with Merlin.

Gaius sighed quietly. "Very well. You may stay."

Arthur smiled. "So, when will I get to meet Kilgarrah?"

Gaius startled, turning back to face Arthur. "When will you— What?"

"Kilgarrah? That's how you say it, right? I'm sorry for catching you off guard about that. Merlin has... A truth spell on him, doesn't he?"

"Well, yes. So, this is how you found out? And you... Didn't turn against Merlin?"

Arthur shook his head. "I would never. Merlin is a trusted and loyal friend to Camelot, and me."

"I'm glad you think so. Now, we truly do have to work on getting the spells removed. If you'll allow us to speak with the Great Dragon..."

"Yes, of course. Shall I send some knights with you..?" Arthur glanced towards Merlin, concerned about the blindness.

"No, that won't be necessary, sire. I can still cast spells," Merlin chuckled bitterly, but he was glad that his magic hadn't been taken.

"Ah, all right. When will you return?" Arthur placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder, looking back at Gaius.

"We should return around noon tomorrow," said the physician, with a small nod of his head.

"Good. I'll see you then," Arthur said, squeezing Merlin's shoulder lightly, then he left, leaving Merlin and Gaius facing each other.

"Here we go, then," Merlin chuckled grimly, lips pursed.

<<+>>

Arthur was standing at the base of the palace steps, waiting for the arrival of his manservant and Gaius. Morgana stood at his side, frowning slightly.

"And you're sure Kilgarrah will be able to heal Merlin?" she asked, glancing at him, noting his tense expression.

"They should be returning soon, and yes, Merlin will be fine. I'm sure of it," Arthur responded, confident as usual, but his eyes betrayed his concern and desperation. He crossed his arms loosely over his chest, but his left hand digs into his right bicep.

Morgana watched him for a moment more, a small smile floating onto her face at her brother's concern for Merlin, understanding glittering in her eyes. She turned back to look at the path leading from the kingdom gates, the sounds of hooves hitting the stones drawing her attention.

Merlin and Gaius rode into the town square, pulling their horses to a halt. Arthur let out a slow breath, the first smile he had worn for a day appearing on his face when Merlin looked up and grinned at his king, obviously controlling his own horse, and focusing on his face. He was able to see, which was a major relief.

Dismounting and walking over, Merlin stood in front of Arthur, the wide grin still on his face.

"Well, I'm as good as new," Merlin laughed, spreading his arms wide and doing a little spin, stopping when he faced Arthur again, rather jubilant.

"I'm glad," Arthur smiled, much more relaxed than he had been while waiting for Merlin's return, nodding at Gaius as he walked over, "I assume everything went well?"

"Yes, sire. Both spells were removed." Gaius seemed to be relieved about that, but he still looked tense; his smile wasn't quite fully there, something big on his mind.

Morgana smiled at them all, nudging Arthur. "I shouldn't have doubted anything."

He nodded, laughing, "No, you shouldn't have. I knew everything would turn out all right."

"Sire, may I speak to you for a moment?" Gaius spoke up, tilting his head towards an alcove. Arthur nodded, glancing once at Merlin before turning to follow, confused.

"May I ask... What are you going to do about magic, and-- Well, Merlin," the physician asked quietly, with a glance out at where the warlock stood, talking animatedly with Morgana.

Arthur's smile had vanished, but it reappeared at Gaius' words. "Well, I've already made plans to lift the ban on magic. I hope you knew Morgana has magic as well, but then, I don't know how else she would have coped. Thank you for that."

Gaius was taken aback, and then smiled along with Arthur. "No, thank you, sire. This will change Camelot's future, for the better."

"I know."

<<\+ aight this is the big merthur part i'm kinda sorry if you know me in real life it's uh intense kissing ok bye +>>

Arthur and Merlin stood facing each other, Merlin leaning back against the table, using it to brace himself as he laughed at something Arthur had said, a comment on his temporary blindness. Arthur just stood and laughed softly, but he was mainly just watching his friend, who was amazingly cheerful after being healed. Eventually the laughter grew quieter, then stopped altogether, and Merlin was left staring at Arthur, until he dropped his head to his chest, heaving a sigh.

"... What... Are we going to do now..?" Merlin asked slowly, not lifting his head. He knew there were many things that had been revealed, that went against everything Arthur had been taught. Mainly magic.

"I have some plans-- I already told Gaius and Morgana that I'm planning on lifting the ban on magic. I know my father would be disappointed, but I have proof that magic isn't evil," Arthur said, stepping closer to Merlin, wanting him to look up and meet his gaze.

"You know about Morgana's magic?" Merlin's head jerked up, blinking at the king, not quite noticing that he had moved closer.

"Yes, she told me when I explained what had happened to you, and about Kilgarrah," Arthur hummed, leaning on the table beside Merlin, tapping his fingers on the polished wood.

"Oh." Merlin stared straight ahead, halfway lost in thought.

Arthur chuckled and dropped his head forwards, onto Merlin's shoulder. "I'm mainly just glad you're all right. Nothing else really mattered, with the danger or your blindness. I hardly trusted you two to go out alone." He left out the part that they weren't alone; he had sent a couple of knights to follow them at a distance.

Merlin tilted his head to the right, pressing his cheek to Arthur's hair. "I didn't know you cared."

"I've always cared about you, Merlin," Arthur stepped out and turned, now standing in front of Merlin, face still buried in his manservant's neck.

Merlin's breath caught slightly as Arthur's hands wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He laughed nervously, hugging him back lightly, then heard Arthur murmur something against his neck.

"I-- I'm sorry, what was that, sire?" he asked, watching as Arthur pulled away from him and sighed, eyes guarded.

"I've told you not to call me that plenty of times, Merlin," the king drawled Merlin's name, a his smile tilting to a smirk, causing Merlin to suck in a sharp breath, stiffening up.

"O-- Okay, fine, Arthur. But you still haven't told me what you sa--" Merlin was cut off by Arthur pressing a finger to his lips, preventing him from speaking.

"I said I love you." Nothing left to lose.

"Wh... at..?" Nothing left to lose.

"I... Love you." Except Merlin.

Merlin stared at the king for a moment longer, then extracted his arms, grabbed the collar of Arthur's shirt, and pulled him in, slamming their lips roughly together, shocked at his own abruptness. Arthur seemed stunned as well, not reacting for a moment, then responded eagerly, pressing into Merlin almost desperately, hungrily. His hands had started to travel up Merlin's back when the warlock pulled away, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, wincing internally. He shouldn't have acted so rashly, but his excitement and love overwhelmed him.

"Don't be," Arthur murmured against his lips, kissing him again. It started lightly, lips gliding against each other, then Arthur pressed into Merlin again, dragging his hand through his dark hair, tongue sliding over Merlin's lips, wanting to know how he tasted, wanting to make Merlin his. However, the warlock didn't open his mouth, instead he turned his head, breaking the kiss with a small sound in the back of his throat, something Arthur wished was louder.

"Merlin," he growled, nipping at his jawline, causing him to gasp quietly, "What are you doing."

"I-- We-- Shouldn't. Can't..? I'm-- Ah-- A servant, Arthur," he managed out, mind a little bit foggy, struggling to think through the sensation of Arthur, his king, his... friend? mouthing his neck, leaving a mark that was sure to bruise, causing Merlin to tremble.

"Mm... And is that the only concern you have, Merlin?" Arthur hummed, barely pulling his lips from Merlin's neck, then immediately returning, sharply biting the spot he had been mouthing just seconds before. He smiled against the pale skin as Merlin made that small sound again, if louder than the first time.

"N-- No... I-- Ahn, Arthur! I have magic, and you know that-- Doesn't that--" he had to stop and breathe rapidly for a few seconds, as Arthur had moved up to a spot under his ear, tugging not too gently on his hair to tilt his head back, "--Doesn't that go against everything-- everything you've been taught from your father?"

Arthur roughly pulled on Merlin's hair, causing him to cry out softly. "Don't you dare mention my father right now."

"Ah-- Ah-- Okay, I'm sorry! But-- Still, I'm just--"

And that was the end of that argument. Arthur moved back to kiss Merlin's lips, cutting off whatever he was intending to sat, before pulling back and looking at him with a grounding intensity.

"Enough of that. I hardly care about any concerns you have, okay? I love you, and that's that."

"I... Okay. I love you," Merlin added the last bit quietly, leaning closer into Arthur.


End file.
